Diamond Flower
by Aleyerrad
Summary: On a mission to retrieve a possible Innocence and its accommodator, the exorcists are thrown into a side of the world they never knew existed when they witness the destruction of an akuma by human hands. What is Chronos, and who are the Numbers?
1. The Beginning

**Diamond Flower**

**Summary:**

On a mission to retrieve a possible Innocence and its accommodator, the exorcists are thrown into a side of the world they never knew existed when they witness the destruction of an akuma by human hands. What is Chronos, and who are the Numbers?

**A/N:**

I'd like to clear up a few things about this crossover. First and foremost, this follows from D Gray-man right after Cross's 'murder' and before the Timothy arc. For Black Cat, it will follow the anime counterpart during the time Train is still a member of Chronos, but will contain a mix of anime and manga events. This also means that he has yet to meet Saya. The location of the Black Cat world will be assumed to be in Japan, and thus the currency will follow in yen. Owing to that, there will be a seven hour difference between the happenings in the Black Order, and that in Sapidor. The name and geology of Sapidor is fictional and taken from the Black Cat manga. And no, I won't do any yaoi pairings. Just no. In fact, I'm not sure if this story will even last long enough to see a pairing.

That aside, don't forget to review and above all, enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Black Cat nor D Gray-man.

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><p><strong>[1]<strong>

**The Beginning**

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><p><strong>December 16, 00:01<strong>

**Location: Unknown**

A silent shadow against the white moon, the black-robed assassin loomed over the cathedral from his perch on the roof. Golden pupils narrowed as they locked on to the shadow of their target, dangerously surveying its movements behind the window of stained glass. The wind blew, throwing up the tail of his coat.

The shadow behind the glass moved.

The man leapt.

His sinewy shadow raced across the skies like a preying bird. Diving at an inhuman speed, he landed smoothly on the courtyard and slammed the hilt of his gun to the back of the head of an unsuspecting nun.

The woman fell to the ground, unconscious.

The others patrolling the grounds immediately whipped around to the source of the noise. Yet, all of them were too slow to prevent his unwelcome intrusion.

_Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!_

The crows, disturbed from their rest, took to the midnight sky. They cawed angrily at the man as he flashed into the church, only to be surrounded by half a dozen more nuns. Their guise up, the women threw off their black robes, revealing themselves to be armed guards as the black barrels of their guns glinted in the minimal light.

Even though they reigned in numbers, they were just as easily disposed of as their companions outside the building. They barely noticed when he blitzed the entire group and dashed straight for their client.

There was only the click of a gun as it pressed into the man's neck.

"Y-You're one of those Chronos people?" he gasped, his eyes making out the thin XIII tattoo carved into his assailant's chest. Fear of his impending doom was no less evident than the shudder of his breath.

Slit, golden irises glared up at him in a cold, ruthless gaze. A murderous aura emanated off his being, his words laced with finality as he spoke.

"I came to deliver bad luck."

_Bang!_

Blood splattered onto the carpet as the man fell. His bulging eyes held stagnant tears in their corners.

He never drew breath again.

~A~

**December 15, 17:00**

**Location: Black Order, Europe Branch, Komui's Office**

"Allen!" Lavi greeted just as the younger exorcist stepped into the paper littered office, Link a step behind his young charge. Catching his junior in a headlock, the red-head grinned cheerfully. "We finally get to go on a mission together! Along with Kuro-chan!"

Said white-haired exorcist scanned the room and its occupants, catching Lenalee's beautiful smile, Krory's nod, Reever's exasperated frown, and Komui's almost serious look. Almost, because the Supervisor was still sobbing somewhat, using a soaked handkerchief to clean his face of the tears that had undoubtedly been brought about by the false announcement of Lenalee's marriage.

"Allen-kun, Lavi, your mission," Lenalee said, handing out the black-backed files to the two exorcists before passing one to Link. They muttered words of thanks before being ushered to the sofa. Komui, who had stopped his hysterics, immediately started the briefing. He pulled down a map and slammed his palm against the marked destination.

"The four of you, Link included, will leave for Sapidor, Japan, tomorrow," Komui instructed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Detailed information can be found in there, which you should read while you're on your rather endearing journey."

"Sapidor?" Krory repeated.

"It's a small country with a population of 1.2 million, overlooking the Sea of Japan," Komui explained. "Our finders situated there have reported something that might just be another Innocence. Your mission is to check out the object, retrieve it if it is an Innocence, and, if it has one, its accommodator."

"I see… wait, you said four? So Lenalee's not joining us?"

Lenalee nodded.

"I'm assigned to Paris to investigate the Thief G situation there, along with Kanda and Marie," she explained. Allen noted a hint of grudging acceptance in her voice. "Several of our finders who were sent there are currently in custody with the police. We're going to retrieve them in a few days' time, after Marie's recovered from the previous mission."

"Lenalee's upset that she won't get to see the festival," Lavi whispered into his ear, causing Allen to blush. Then he blinked.

"Festival?"

The teen nodded.

"You will take Gate 58, which is the nearest," Komui interrupted, "Gather in front of Gate 9 tomorrow, at 11:00 sharp. When you arrive in Japan, it's a two hour journey by train from the village to the destination point. Expected arrival time should be 20:00, Japan hour. Any questions? No? Then go and get ready. I will personally-"

"Oh no, you don't!" Reever exclaimed, catching the eccentric half-chinese by the collar of his coat just as he moved to exit the room. "You are staying here to finish your paper work! Like you should have done weeks ago!"

"But Reeverrrr…"

"No 'but's, Komui!" The scientist growled, before turning to the audience in the room with a smile. "Allen, Lavi, Krory, do make sure you bring back a few souvenirs if you manage to catch the festival! I heard that their fireworks are something to look at."

Nodding, the party of three exorcists and one CROW member left the room and headed for the cafeteria, leaving the echoes of Komui's protests behind them.

"It's good to be working with you again, Krory," Allen remarked. "We haven't been on the same mission ever since Edo."

"Likewise."

"What about me?" Lavi pouted. "All of your missions have been with Yu and two-pimples. ("T-Two-pimples?" Link cried out in indignation, only to be ignored by the Bookman Junior.) On the other hand, I keep getting paired up with Chaozii and the Old Panda. You'd think they're trying to separate us or something…"

Behind them, Link suppressed the urge to cough.

"So, what's all this about a festival?" Allen asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Figures you'll be the first one interested, Allen."

The boy flushed red.

"A festival sounds nice…" Krory added, his interest also piqued.

"Isn't it?" Lavi agreed, cheerfully skipping ahead of the group. "See, there's a carnival to be held at Sapidor's port several days from now. It's a huge festival that occurs once every year," he explained, sounding more and more excited with every word. He spun around to face them. "The fireworks at the climax of the festivities are really famous. There're even people who actually take time to travel there just to watch them!"

"Then of course, there's everything else you'd find at carnivals: lots of food, drinks, games, and stores selling all sorts of goods! It'll be a blast! That is, if we stay long enough to catch them."

"I'm sure Link won't mind if we stay just a bit longer, _right_?" Allen beamed at his supervising officer.

Seeing the look on the innocent boy's face, Link could only say that he was very much unnerved by his charge. He would never get used to that eerily pleasant smile whenever the boy wanted something to go his way. Steeling his voice, he replied, "We will dawdle in that area no longer than required."

"The Innocence had better not be an easy find," Lavi muttered under his breath. Link glared at him.

"Then, I'm sure that you are well prepared to write a full report detailing why you took longer than necessary to secure the Innocence, am I right, Bookman Junior?"

Lavi sulked.

"You're no fun at all, two-pimples."

"T-Two-!"

"Ignore him, Link. Lavi's mindset is that of a child."

"Allen, do I have to remind you that I'm four years your senior?"

Krory smiled at the three-way squabble that had erupted from a casual conversation. After everything that had happened in the span of a few months, such a scene was almost nostalgic. Because of the recent revelation that Allen was the host to the memories of 14th Noah, many of the other exorcists were tense whenever they talked to the boy, as if they expected his Noah to awaken at any time. It was painfully obvious that Chaozii and Kanda were taking great lengths to avoid him, and even he was just as guilty of such a thought.

He wondered if Eliade would chide him for thinking that way of the person who brought him back into society.

"…ro-chan!"

Krory blinked in surprise when Lavi's gloved hand swept downwards before his eyes, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Lavi?"

"Ah! Kuro-chan's back!" He cheered, before that smile melted away into a neutral expression. "What were you thinking about? You looked so serious."

Looking his comrades, Krory shook his head.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about Eliade," he answered, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. This did not go unnoticed.

"Oh! Kuro-chan's blushing!" the Bookman Junior teased, poking him in the ribs. "So, what about her?"

"Lavi!" Allen scolded.

His smile returned and he chuckled again. Truly, this was one of the few precious moments where prejudice did not reign. Allen's weariness was obvious even through the mask that he put on. A festival would work wonders. It would serve to take their mind off the current affairs, even for a little bit, and restore their spirits. He would try to talk to Link, for Allen's sake, try to persuade him to allow them to stay for the celebrations.

Because if he wasn't mistaken, then beneath that stoic, workaholic front that the CROW member tried to maintain, Link was just as worried as any of them.

~A~**  
><strong>

**December 16, 01:50**

**Location: Unknown**

Train drained the last of his milk before setting aside the empty bottle, allowing his gaze to linger on the moon. Again, he had killed. Again, his hands were stained with the blood of someone else. But that was how reality was, wasn't it? Kill or be killed. Only the strong would survive. That was the rule of the world. His teacher, his parents' murderer, had taught him the way of the gun. Sephira had taught him to kill. Both taught him to show anything but mercy to his targets. And yet…

_Please! Please let me go!_

He shook his head violently, scaring his feline companion, Shiro, from its drink. It looked at him with wide eyes and mewled curiously, sadly. He regained his stoic composure and shook his head.

"I'm fine."

That's right. He was fine. As long as he continued his job to erase those who threatened the peace of the world, he would show no mercy in his kills. He had been told that the man was a tyrant, that he had done many awful things while the village was under his tyranny. That's why, if he was killed, the village would surely be better off. The evil was vanquished, the peace restored, and the villagers free.

He had done good again, hadn't he? And truthfully, he couldn't continue to dwell on the morality of the world. His previous mission to assassinate the newly elected governor Lib Tyrant was swift and deadly, though he had made his presence known to the man with the suitcase. Dwelling on such trivialities would only hinder his performance, just like it did at that party.

A gun was a weapon for killing. That, only that, and nothing more. At the very least, he didn't suffer, much.

_BAM!_

That's right… One bullet to the head, _bam_, and everything was over. He doubted that the man even felt anything, and everyone would be better off as well. All was good in the world.

And it was then that he cursed himself for being so caught up in his thoughts. His narrowed eyes immediately swept the area around him, an instinct honed from experience. Shiro stared at him curiously.

That sound just then was most definitely a gunshot, and though he shouldn't be the slightest bit concerned about what was happening, there was something… _wrong_… about that sound. He frowned, just as the night rattled again with the sound of metal shells.

_BAMBAMBAM!_

Locating the source of the gunshots, the stunned assassin easily deduced that it originated a fair bit of distance away from his abode, somewhere towards the south. It would take him less than fifteen minutes at top speed. In any other scenario, he would have cared less.

But not this time.

It was impossible for its echoes to travel so far, and as loud as it had been.

By the time the Black Cat arrived in the area, however, the culprit was already long gone. Although, the state of his surroundings told the Chronos eraser all he needed to know about this mysterious assailant. His fingers brushed over the craters formed in the soil and stone, apprehension growing as he followed their trail. When the trail lead him to a deserted part of the district, his eyes widened and his breath hitched.

Where bodies should have been, all that was there was a mound of dust over bullet-ridden fabric and discarded shoes.


	2. Always the Same

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D Gray-man nor Black Cat

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><p><strong>[2]<strong>

**Always the Same**

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><p><strong>December 16, 09:35<strong>

**Location: Cait Sith Café, Sapidor **

Sven was hungry, there was no denying that. But the bounties of his recent captures weren't enough to pay for all of his expenses, much less his own meals, what with food prices rising like no tomorrow. 2280 yen for a pancake set? Ridiculous!

His stomach growled like the ravenous beast it was as he sipped the cup of alcohol. His mind wandered back, for the umpteenth time, to the assassin who had gotten to his target first. The legendary eraser of the organization, Chronos, No. XIII Black Cat. He'd hated to admit it, but he had been completely outdone by the kid. No one even noticed when he slipped through the crowd at breakneck speed, knocking the bodyguard unconscious in the process and delivering the killing shot. And how he had dealt with the guard who came after them… why didn't he just kill him like he did to Lib, and instead chose to pin him down with his own weapon?

He groaned, a headache forming.

"So? What's wrong with you?" Annette asked nonchalantly, cleaning a plate with a piece of cloth.

"What do you think?"

"You let your prize get taken by the legendary Chronos eraser, didn't you?"

Sven turned to look at Annette in shock.

"You knew the governor was killed by the Black Cat?"

Annette snorted.

"Don't underestimate my information network. Nothing happens in Sapidor without me hearing about it."

"Figures…"

The conversation trailed off, the closed café lapsing once again into a tense atmosphere of silence.

"There's something you should also know."

Sven glanced up from the steaming drink. "Hmm?"

"There have been several mysterious deaths going around," Annette explained, setting down the now sparkling plate. "People going missing, abandoned clothes found in the alleyways, it's best that you be careful."

"Isn't that what usually happens? You know, muggers, thieves, and all that?"

"I did say that abandoned clothes were found in the alleyways, didn't I?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"There isn't any information on the attackers, at least not yet. Though, piles of dust have been spotted near the clothes that were ridden with bullet holes. Strangely, an unidentified gas was also detected in the vicinity."

Sven ran through the information in his head.

"So, we can assume that whoever this attacker is, he's most probably a gunman? But where does the dust fit in? And the gas?"

The café owner shrugged.

"That's what they're trying to figure out. I'll call if any new information surfaces, but right now, you got to keep on your toes. Call it sweeper's intuition, but I don't think whoever did this is alone."

~A~

**December 16, 08:00**

**Location: Black Order, Europe Branch, Science Department**

Morning was the usual at the Black Order. Scientists rushed about in a frenzy, research material spilling over their arms and littering the floors with paper scrawled with cursive, almost messy handwriting. However, the atmosphere was vastly different. Anyone with half a mind would be able to tell that the frenzy wasn't that of excitement when scientific breakthroughs and discoveries were made.

Allen glanced around at the Order members rushing to and fro from room to room, the tension causing his expression to crease into a frown. He turned to Link, but the CROW member was already one step ahead of him.

"What's going on?" the teen asked a passing researcher, who was scrambling around with a pile of paper. Upon closer inspection, Link realized with a start that the report detailed nothing on scientific discoveries.

"Haven't you heard?" he asked, before answering his own question with a rushed murmur of, "No, no, of course you wouldn't have…"

He looked first at Allen, before returning to face Link.

"One of our members has been murdered."

Ignoring the shocked looks he received, he continued, "He was the one in charge of overseeing your arrival to Sapidor, disguised as the pastor of a church. He was murdered last night, even though we had several trained finders guarding the area-"

"Was anyone else killed?" Allen interrupted.

The scientist growled irritably.

"I was just getting to that part. Our finders were knocked unconscious and are currently suffering a concussion from the attack, but are otherwise fine. The only casualty we have is the pastor. Whoever the assailant was, he was fast. And experienced. The injuries our finders suffered were but a single blow to the head."

Link drew in a breath. "A single… blow?"

"Yeah," he sifted through a few filed reports. "Caused by something hard, judging from the size of that bruise. A swift, hard hit to the back of the head, slamming the brain against the inside of the skull and causing the cranial nerve to send a shock up to the brain, shutting off all non-automatic activity…" he rambled, and flipped the papers again. "And then, the pastor was killed by a shot directly to the brain.

"Who killed him? Why was he killed? That's what you're thinking right? Well, I can't answer them. And don't bother asking the others, because we don't know anything about the attacker aside from the fact that he used a gun. Now, if you don't mind…"

The scientist scampered off, muttering to himself, leaving the exorcist-CROW member duo staring after him.

Reever would find Allen rooted to the spot a few minutes later, and would do his best to answer the white-haired exorcist's plethora of questions as he led him to Komui's office for a last minute briefing brought about by the sudden turn of events.

Allen only noticed Link's disappearance when Reever raised the CROW's unusual absence in his spot behind the boy.

~A~

**December 16, 11:45**

**Location: Torneo Rudman's Estate, Sapidor**

Ever since she had been born, Eve knew naught but the game of tag, the one thing that her father had taught her. Tag was a game where she was the demon, and her playmates were the villagers. Every other day, without fail, father would let her play tag with her playmates, to keep her busy, to keep her happy. She was to chase after the villagers and tag them with her blade. If she'd managed to tag them, father would be happy and praise her.

Eve always liked praises. They made her feel good, even though she didn't like that whoever she tagged never moved again, or that every day, her playmates would change, or that she would never see those she tagged ever again. She especially hated that.

Once, she had a playmate named Steven. He wasn't very tall compared to the rest of her playmates, but she had found him the most interesting. He had short, black hair, customary for her playmates, and wore an eye patch over his right eye, lost in an accident when he was young. They had met when he had stumbled across her room on his first day on the job.

Her first impression of him had been that of a bumbling idiot because of the way he stuttered during his apology. But that had quickly changed when he told her all about the world outside the compounds of the mansion. When he realized that she had never been out of the compound ever, he had been shocked. And from that day onwards, he would make it a point to sneak in and tell her stories about the world beyond the white walls, about people, about morals, about so many things unimaginable to her.

Until one day, he was called up to play tag with her.

As usual, the chase began with screaming and shock and terrified eyes as Steven kept running away from her. She didn't understand then. Tag was, after all, just a very fun, very simple game. Just run and chase. Why didn't he enjoy it like she did? Of course, she had won the game, and father had again showered her with praises. But at that time, there had been a painful tugging somewhere deep within her body, and the blood (Steven had taught her what it was) on her hands suddenly seemed so gross, so disgusting.

Steven never came into her room after that game. In fact, he completely disappeared from the household. When she had asked father about him, he smiled and told her that she had killed him. She didn't know what 'killed' meant, but the word left a horrible, horrible taste in her mouth when she repeated it, and there was a horrible, horrible feeling in her gut, like someone just dropped a ten-ton boulder into her stomach.

Since then, tag wasn't as fun as before.

The bloodstained hand that belonged to her looked more and more disgusting every time she played, the foul, coppery stench of the liquid making her stomach churn and her appetite lost. Today was no different. She had played tag. She had won. And now, as she stood over the unmoving body of her newest playmate, she stared at the blood dripping from her hand.

It was a rich scarlet, with the same smell as always… and something more. Her eyes narrowed and she took a sniff. Immediately, she recoiled at the smell and held the bloody appendage as far away from her body as possible.

Her other playmates came and led her back to her father, who was as pleased as can be, all the while thinking about the blood. The smell was different, a second stench, of death and poison and magic, hidden beneath the smell of blood. On closer inspection, she could make out tiny, black, star-shaped markings beneath the reddish-brown liquid.

There was a hissing sound, and she glanced backwards just in time to see the body of her playmate burst into a cloud of dust, the black fabric lying forgotten in the mound of grey. Her eyes widened, just as the oaken door to the mansion closed behind her.

Later when she was lead back into the room after dinner, she thought about the smell again. It was indistinct if she hadn't actually concentrated on it, but she remembered exactly how foul it was, and she was curious as to why another of her playmates smelled exactly the same. _Very_ curious.

Perhaps father would allow her to play with that one soon.

~A~**  
><strong>

**December 16, 16:47**

**Location: Central District, Sapidor**

A man came down the street from the opposite end.

Their hands brushed against each other.

Paper was pressed between his fingers.

"Your mission."

It occurred in but an instant.

The men parted, and no one would even know that the exchange had occurred.

~A~**  
><strong>

**December 16, 19:14**

**Location: Cemetery, Sapidor**

The girl was beautiful for her age. Her figure was perfect, her skin pale and smooth, her eyes bright with a beautiful turquoise shade. Framing a heart-shaped face was shining black hair that fell over her shoulders in long, straight locks. Essentially, she was beauty personified. She could have been doing so many other things, and yet, Joanna's gorgeous looks were wasted by the tears that stained her face, spilling onto the stone of her fiancée's grave as she wept inconsolably, the cemetery filled with the quiet sobs of despair.

Why? Why did Lib have to die? What did Lib do to get him assassinated?

He may have had been a gangster. He may have had done terrible things, blackmail, homicide and the like, but she knew that everything he did was for her.

Lib had been the leader of a gang when he had found her, half-dead from abuse in the backstreet that they frequented. He had taken her into his gang despite his gang mates' protests, for reasons unknown to her, and had nursed her back to health, fed her, even proclaimed her as one of their own. Then one day, out of the blue, he had proposed to her, swearing to give her a good life.

Over the years, he had done and manipulated many acts behind the scenes, all to get himself elected as the government. He was happy, happy that he could fulfill his promise, and she was happy, happy that he had achieved his dream. And yet… and yet… not even a day passed after his rise in status that he got killed, assassinated, no less, by someone else who wanted him out of the picture.

Why? Whywhywhywhy_why_?

"Good evening, miss!"

The suddenness of the greeting caused the girl to jerk her head upwards. The plump figure of a person in a white coat, elfin ears, and an impossibly huge grin plastered across his face filled her vision.

"Would you like to bring him back?"

Joanna's eyes widened. The man's smile grew, his eyes flashing behind those round, frameless spectacles. Snapping his fingers, a metal skeleton attached to a silver frame appeared beside the gravestone.

"This is a magical body I created. Insert a soul into it, and your fiancée will be revived."

Joanna looked between the grave and the skeleton. Was it even possible?

"All you have to do is call his name."

She blinked in disbelief, and then suddenly, realization hit her, hard.

Her eyes lit up in determination.

Lib did so much for her, and yet she did not have a chance to repay him. This, she thought, as she stared at the skeleton, this was her chance to repay him, to return him the life that was stolen from him before he could even enjoy it.

"Lib…" she sniffed.

"LIB!"


	3. Underneath the Navy Sky

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D Gray-man nor Black Cat

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><p><strong>[3]<strong>

**Underneath the Navy Sky**

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><p><strong>December 16, 17:28<strong>

**Location: Onboard the train to Sapidor, Japan**

Allen sighed as he moved his eyes from the updated file and stared of the window, watching the scenery as it sped past. Because of the murder of Pastor Samuel, who was supposed to have received them at the gate nearest to their destination, they had been deployed to Gate 47 instead for fear of their being compromised. It was also because of this that they were deployed much earlier than expected.

Gate 47 was the closest to Sapidor after Gate 58, although the gateways were arranged such that neither of the gates would be found near each other. Hence, their journey which should have taken them only two hours was extended to almost seven hours by train. From their destination, they were still a good six hours away. He released another sigh before turning back to the paper, re-reading its contents for the third time.

"I don't understand," the white haired teen finally admitted, a frown creasing his brows. "It says here that we're supposed to be investigating some guy known as Thor… Torn-"

"Torneo Rudman," Lavi supplied helpfully.

"Right. Torneo Rudman," Allen flipped the paper. "So he's active as an arms trader underground. It doesn't prove anything, does it?"

"The point is, Allen, that we are not focusing on the weapons he has made, but the weapon he is studying right now."

Both exorcists gave the red-haired Bookman a quizzical look.

"A couple of our finders have infiltrated Rudman's estate, and we've been getting reports that his daughter, a really sweet-looking girl named Eve, is really more than what she seems." The older teen leaned back against his seat to make himself comfortable. "From what the few of our finders have seen, she's able to morph parts of her body, usually her hands, into the shape of a weapon, say a cleaver, or a mace."

Krory blinked.

"Is that even possible? I thought Innocence were usually restricted to a single form."

Bookman junior jabbed a thumb in Allen's direction.

"Moyashi-chan-"

"It's ALLEN! A-L-L-E-N! ALLEN!"

"Moyashi-chan over here can turn his hand into a claw and a sword."

The aristocrat nodded, understanding the point being proven. But something else still bugged him.

"You said usually. Can she transform the other parts of her body as well?"

Lavi hummed thoughtfully. "Parasitic Innocence transforms part of its compatible's body into a weapon, but the form is usually constant, like Allen's claw, or your fangs."

Both parasitic exorcists nodded. Timcampy, who had been resting on Allen's head, was not pleased to be jerked out of its slumber. Bobbing angrily in the air, it smacked the exorcist with its tail before choosing to settle on his lap instead.

"So if we assume that she is in possession of Innocence, though I really can't think of any other situation where she could gain powers like that, it would be one that allows her to use transform any part of her body into any shape or size, thus allowing it to function as a weapon.

"However, the entire hypothesis could be proven wrong if we look at it from a different angle. You remember Lau Jimin, General Klaud Nine's Innocence, don't you, Allen?"

Recalling the image of the tiny monkey, transformed into the monstrous simian that was its form when activated, Allen nodded.

"If Eve-chan happens to be something like Lau Jimin, a sentient Innocence trapped within a living shell, then Eve might just be the Innocence and Rudman her compatible. They say she rarely leaves his side except in the household, so it might just be that way. But… I mean, I know Innocence choose their own accommodators, but that image is so very wrong…"

"So you're saying that this 'Eve' could be someone with a parasitic Innocence? Or is an Innocence?"

"Bingo!"

Krory looked at Lavi in amazement, Allen in suspicion.

"How do you know all this?" the youngest exorcist asked, eyes narrowed. "That information isn't in the files."

Lavi just winked playfully.

"Trade secret."

Before Allen could say anything in response, the red-head interrupted.

"Anyway, what's up with two pimples? He's been out like since forever."

The younger exorcist perked an eyebrow.

"What do you- Oh…"

Without paying close attention to him, one would pass it off as him being deep in thought about the contents of the folder. Closer inspection, however, revealed otherwise. For the first time since he knew the inspector, Link's eyes were unfocused, staring into the oblivion of space. He was deep in thought, yes, but about something else entirely.

"Link?"

The addressed didn't even flinch.

"Link? Are you in there?"

There was no sign that the blonde-haired inspector had heard his name. Tentatively, Lavi waved a hand before the man's eyes. Again, there was no response.

Grinning, he gave a thumbs up sign to Allen, who frowned. Regardless, the white-haired teen took in a deep breath and yelled, "Link!"

The inspector's head snapped upwards and at his liege. Startled out of his thoughts, and forcing his shock underneath a mask of indifference, he raised a questioning eyebrow at the exorcist.

"I am not deaf, Walker. Do refrain from shouting in my ear to get my attention."

"We've been trying to get your attention for a while now."

"Yeah. You were completely ignoring us," the red-head added, peering over at the file. "Was the report really that interesting? You seemed to be _really_ deep in thought."

Link glared distastefully at the young Bookman and snapped the file shut.

"That is of my own concern, not yours."

Shrugging, Lavi turned his attention to the window. At the same time, Link returned to his thoughts, although he was more alert than before. Krory and Allen shifted uncomfortably in their seats, the sudden tension in the car not going unnoticed.

Glancing between his three comrades, Krory noted that Allen seemed to be thinking furiously on something to say to lighten the atmosphere, and decided that now was a good time to ask the question that had been on his mind since the start of the mission.

"By the way, Lavi, how did you manage to convince Bookman to let you come on this mission alone?"

A light bulb seemed to go off in Allen's mind.

"Krory's right… you and Bookman almost never leave on a mission without each other. Why the sudden change?"

There was quiet, followed by a nervous laugh as Lavi composed himself at the question.

"Eheh… Our group was pretty badly injured from our previous mission. You remember that right?"

The other exorcists nodded, lips pressed in a firm line. Link just glanced upwards in interest.

"I escaped with minor injuries because the old panda took a blow for me, so he's still back at headquarters recuperating. I should be there too, but when I heard that you guys were being posted to Sapidor, right before the festival, I knew I just _had_ to come along. Think of all the beautiful ladies there!"

Allen gave an exasperated sigh. Lavi ignored him.

"Of course, gramps didn't want me to go…" the red-head mumbled incoherently, his voice trailing off to barely a whisper. "So I just… eheh… I… err… knocked him unconscious." Seeing all the accusing pairs of eyes trained on him, Lavi quickly added, "Nothing too serious though!"

The culprit's sheepish laughter permeated the pregnant silence.

~A~**  
><strong>

**December 16, 23:24**

**Location: Southern District, Sapidor**

Bounding over the rooftops, Train landed in a fighter's crouch on the curb, slit pupils scanning the lands below it unblinkingly. Tense was Chronos's prodigious pet, and he frowned upon the ominous feeling that tugged at his gut, uneasiness bubbling up within him. It was something he had not felt for years since he first started his profession as an Eraser, and he did not like the feeling of foreboding. Something was about to happen that night, instinct told him that much.

But orders were orders, and he could not – would not hesitate in carrying them out. His target tonight was the drug dealer and crime boss by the name of Carlo Russo, and the man would draw his last breath before midnight.

The shadows shifted ever so slightly, and the Chronos Number leapt into action.

Landing behind the henchmen guarding the door, he blitzed them both with a swift strike from Hades before bolting into the building. Knocking the other men unconscious in the blink of an eye, Train had his gun pressed beneath his target's chin in a heartbeat. It was barely three minutes since he had commenced his assault. Swift, clean, quiet, that was how the Black Cat worked.

Glaring at the pudgy man garbed in fine tunics, he allowed the last few seconds of time for his words to sink in.

"I came to deliver bad luck."

The man barely struggled and made gurgling noises, his head bowed and lips parted but without sound. That ominous feeling returned. Why wasn't the man putting up a fight? Granted, it made his job easier, but it was still mildly unsettling. Disregarding that thought, Train pulled on the trigger.

_Bang! _

To his bewilderment, the bullet found itself lodged in a sludgy mess and promptly disposed of, dropping to the floor with a hollow _clang_. Gasping, the Chronos eraser leapt back in shock as his target's head jerked upwards. His form twisted and convulsed, his skin peeling off to reveal something grey and blotchy. Shedding the human guise as if it were old skin, the once-man swelled and ballooned upwards. His face hardened and cracked, jagged lines forming below his eyes as light disappeared from his irises. Instinctively, Train fired off another shot at the mutating human. The bullet met the same fate as its predecessor. Cannons sprouted from all over the monster's now tear-drop shaped body, looking like some mutated, spiked balloon.

Train's eyes widened as its bloated body crashed into and penetrated the ceiling, sending debris raining down just at the barrels swiveled around, targeting him.

The cannons fired, and explosions filled the air.

Skillfully dodging in between the storm of bullets, which he was careful not to be hit by, Train broke his way out of the apartment by ramming into the window, landing gracefully on his feet. Ducking into the backstreets just across from him, he took refuge in the shadows, Hades poised to shoot.

A stray bullet pierced the flesh of the henchman he had knocked unconscious earlier, and he watched as black stars raced across the body like a plague, before the man burst into dust.

He had heard all about those monsters, but it would be his first time seeing one. Sephira had briefed them all about the newest situation at hand when Ash reported their presence and their powers in effect. From No. X's report, their bullets were what caused the mysterious deaths all around the city, and getting hit by one in any place of your body would define instant death. He had been skeptical at first, but now he was convinced.

There was a loud explosion, and the abandoned apartment burst into chunks of concrete boulders, crashing into the ground as the monster descended, hovering just above the streets. It seemed to be perturbed as it scanned the surroundings, fruitlessly searching for a sign of its elusive assailant.

Meanwhile, the young assassin was taking its brief distraction to analyze the monster's structure as swiftly as he could, listing all possible areas of weakness in his head and then ticking them off against practicality.

He doubted that his bullet could penetrate that gray, stony shell, and he didn't think that attacking from beneath it would be a particularly good idea. That disturbing, almost human-like mask seemed like a good place to shoot, but he'd bet anything that it was just as well protected as the rest of its body.

Which left only the cannons. If the barrels protruded from its body, then whatever produced those bullets should be hidden beneath that shell. Plus, no matter how sturdy anything was on the outside…

But first he had to test its firing range.

Dashing out of his hiding spot, he fired three shots at specific spots while running across the width of the street.

As he had predicted, the bullets deflected off its petrous skin harmlessly. All it did was irritate the beast and earn him a retaliating volley of bullets.

Golden eyes studied the cannons as they swiveled to aim at him, his flighty shadow never staying in one place as he taunted the creature into firing.

Cannon fire struck the ground where he had been, throwing up dirt and dust and debris as they furiously pursued their speedy target, and like the trained gunman he was, Train dodged every single one of them without breaking a sweat.

He dodged beneath the creature and fired upwards at an angle. Again the bullet ricocheted off its armored hide. But what startled him most was the cannons that shot downwards vertical to the ground, and it was only his swift reflexes that got him out of the way in time and into yet another alleyway to avoid a third wave of bullets.

_So, the cannons aren't limited to firing angle_, he deduced silently, relieving his gun of its empty cartridges as he did so. He glanced again at the cannons protruding from their grotesque surface, then at the roof of the nearby buildings. The silken bag Sephira had given him before he received his mission pressed against his chest.

Taking cover in the shadows, Train drew out the pouch by its tassels and poured the contents onto his palm. Reloading his revolver as quickly as he had emptied it, he headed for the roof of the nearest building.

~A~**  
><strong>

**December 16, 23:37**

**Location: Southern District, Sapidor**

"Oiiii! Tim!" Lavi called. "Come on out!"

The group of three exorcists plus one inspector had arrived at their destination just a little while back. They were supposed to meet the finder that had been given orders to lead them to their accommodation, but they had gotten off track when Timcampy decided all of a sudden to zip off into the distant skies, leaving the entire group to chase after it. They had managed to track its fleeting shadow to a rather deserted-looking town on the borders of Sapidor, where they had lost sight of the golden golem.

"Walker, please exercise more control over your golem," Link reprimanded. "We cannot afford to take detours every time it flies off to places unknown."

Allen just sighed and nodded.

They continued to scour every nook and cranny of the district they had ended up in, the calls of the golem's name echoing hollowly into the distance. Krory gave an encouraging smile just as Allen groaned tiredly, once again reminded of the elusive golden ball's annoying tendency to get lost every time they went off on a mission.

"I hope he hasn't been eaten by a stray cat or something…"

"Over there! I see him!" Lavi shouted, pointing to the distance where a golden blur had just shot into. The quartet immediately gave chase. There was a high-pitched shriek, which made all of them hasten their steps. Turning the corner, they were stunned to see Timcampy grasped tightly in the grip of a female student, staring at the golden golem in utmost adoration.

"Kawaii!" The black-haired girl squealed, rubbing the struggling golem against her cheek.

"Tim!"

Relieved at its master's voice, the golem found enough strength to push itself out of the girl's hands, zipping out of her grasp before she even knew what had transpired. Dodging towards Allen, Timcampy shook violently in the safety of his master's uniform.

"This is why I told you not to go flying off so suddenly, Tim…" the white-haired exorcist scolded, patting the pocket that was racked with shivers.

"Oh!" The lass skipped over, observing the exorcists with a gleam in her eyes. She poked at the budge that was Tim, giggling when it shuddered and tried to dig in deeper. "I'm sorry. Was that thing yours? Where did you get it? Is it a bird? It's so cute!"

His mind spinning from the number of questions fired from the little lady's mouth, Allen could only stammer, "Um… well-"

_BAMBAMBAM!_

The entire party of exorcists, a CROW member, a golem, and a random girl off the street whirled around at the sound.

"Gunshots? Akuma?"

As if to answer his question, Allen's left eye whirred in response, the gears shifting as they locked onto their target.

"At 300 metres, a level… one?"

"Level one?" Lavi asked incredulously. They were so used to fighting level twos and threes, fours even, that a level one was considered even rarer than the occasional level four they would see on their individual missions. Of course, that wasn't a good thing. It meant that the number of casualties in this war was increasing exponentially.

Krory inclined his head, equally mystified. "Are you sure, Allen?"

Said exorcist paused, before he nodded.

"It's on the borders of my detection," he growled irritably, moving closer to the signal's source. The mark that indicated an akuma hovered there for a second, and disappeared. It came back a moment later, and vanished again. "I don't understand why keeps going in and out of my range. They usually just go one way, or remain stationary."

Link narrowed his eyes. "Does that mean that it's… fighting somebody?"

All three exorcists paled at the thought.

"No way! Why would anybody want to fight that thing? How can anybody fight that thing? Normal weapons won't even scratch it!"

"Questions later! We have to get there now! If somebody is really fighting that thing…"

There was no need to complete that sentence.

"You, girl, stay here!" Link shouted towards the bewildered lass, just as the party of four took off towards the akuma.

Weaving through the labyrinth of abandoned blocks, they followed Allen faithfully. It wasn't particularly difficult to locate the akuma once it was within three hundred metres of their present location, as it only moved back and forth within that area. It was a sign that whoever had engaged the thing was still alive and fighting, but for how much longer, they would never know.

When the signal finally stopped jerking back and forth, now moving in a unidirectional manner, Allen's heart took a steep plunge and he picked up speed. He didn't want the knowledge of whatever had happened to the person fighting it.

Finally arriving at the scene, the quartet was dismayed to find the entire area in shambles, with neither the akuma nor its assailant in sight.

"Where's the akuma?" Allen yelled, just as Krory shouted, "Up there!"

Everyone looked up, just in time to notice the man standing on the edge of a building, cloaked in so much black that it was nigh impossible to make out his face in the mid of the night. What they could make out, however, was a glint of silver that belonged to the gun he was holding.

"Is he going to do what I think he's going to do?" the Bookman asked, suddenly sounding scared. The akuma finally came into view, floating between the buildings. Seeing this, the man swapped his gun from his right hand to the left. Lavi blanched.

"Oh no no no… that's suicidal!" he exclaimed, horror-struck. He immediately grabbed for his hammer, wondering why he hadn't activated it yet. "You can't kill an akuma with normal bullets! We have to stop him, Allen! Kuro-chan!"

"Don't do it!" Allen roared, leaping up towards the roof. Crown Clown activated, its white cape hugging its chosen protectively. "If you get hit, you'll-!"

Either the man couldn't hear them, or he simply didn't want to listen. Faster than they could blink, he had launched into the air with the grace of a cat, drawing the attention of the akuma. It looked up the soaring gunman, and a series of clicks was heard as the guns locked onto their target.

And then the world fell silent, as gunshots pierced the unholy night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I apologize for the long wait, but this chapter was a headache to write. It's been quite some time since I've read Black Cat, and the level one akumas were so outdated that I kind of forgot how large they were or how they behaved. I think I managed to get it right, but I'm all open to opinions. That, and I was balancing three stories on my hand before I decided, heck I'll just focus on one. This happened to be that one, since it was already nearing completion.


	4. For that Promise

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D Gray-man nor Black Cat

* * *

><p><strong>[4]<strong>

**For That Promise**

* * *

><p><strong>December 16, 23:45<strong>

**Location: Southern District, Sapidor**

Train watched emotionlessly as the eldritch abomination floated between the narrow streets below, obviously searching for him. He did a running jump to the roof of a second building, directly beside the unsuspecting monster and dodged out of sight just as it whirled around to face where he had been. He did one final, careful assessment of the distance and timing from this block to the one across. If his theory proved to be wrong, then he would have to be able to get out of the way, and fast.

It wouldn't pose much of a problem, because the other building was of leaping distance and the propulsion would assist in this extremely risky maneuver. There was also a roof access relatively close to the edge, so if the attack didn't work, at the very least he had a shield he could use to cover his retreat.

He swapped control of the gun to his dominant hand.

Planting a foot on the edge of the roof, Train leapt into the air.

Someone was shouting. Or had, but he couldn't hear what was being said.

Blood rushed into his head just as adrenaline surged through his veins, drowning out all sounds. Wind roared into his ears as he arced over the monster, a black shadow underneath the navy sky. As he had expected, it sensed him the moment he was above it and out in the open, its cannons revolving around in his direction.

He forced the bubbling excitement beneath the stoic mask of the trained killer he was as landed right on the tip of a lone cannon's barrel.

The ornate, 6-shot revolver glinted in the moonlight as he took aim at the gaping darkness. Golden, cat-like eyes captured the tiny movement that was the barrel about to fire and in that split second of a moment, he pulled the trigger.

There was a movement at the corner of his eye. In a flash, Train shoved all the strength that he had into his feet and dodged into the sky.

The gun he had been on was blasted into bits the moment he left, destroyed by its own kind.

A wail sounded into the night, a mix of pain and rage.

All the cannons closest to him whirled around, clicking and taking aim.

Giving in to temptation, he smirked. This was almost too easy.

Aiming downwards, Hades howled as four bullets, all fired at the same time drove themselves deep into their targets.

Landing smoothly, Train rolled behind the roof access and pressed his body low. Panting lightly, he paused in anticipation.

But, the retaliating rain of bullets never came.

Silence ruled the night, as it should, and baited breath waited what was to come next.

At first, there was nothing. And then, the swollen, blotchy body of the monster started to convulse and crack.

Smoke billowed from the mouth of the cannons, a gruesome dark liquid spilling from where its eyes and mouth used to be. There was a ghastly moan and a bone-chilling cry, and light erupted from the fractures mere seconds before the creature exploded into a brilliant conflagration, sending gray clouds and scarlet sparks in every direction possible. Behind hair tussled by the conjured winds Train almost smiled, satisfied at his own handiwork.

No matter how impenetrable its armor was, nothing could survive an implosion. And there was absolutely no way that it would be able to survive five bullets manufactured specifically for exploding upon impact.

He would have to place an order for more of those burst bullets when he returned to headquarters. After all, that monster couldn't be the only one of its kind.

Without looking, his gun arm lifted and fired. Furious gusts whipped past his face, throwing up his coat and hair where he stood. Without a glance towards what he had just attacked, the Black Cat dropped down into the alley and melded into the darkness, inserting a single cartridge into Hades' now empty cylinder.

The burnt corpse of a deep purple butterfly fluttered lifelessly to the ground, smoking from the hole where the bullet had burst.

~A~

**Location: Unknown**

"Oooh… That kid is _good_…" Intrigue glinted mischievously in the man's eyes. His companion looked up from her book.

"You mean Allen?"

"No. I meant the human that blew up my tease, and that akuma too."

The girl sat up straighter.

"Oh? A human did that?"

"Mmhmm…"

She licked her lips.

"I wonder if he'll be fun to play with?"

Playfully, he made a disgusted face.

"Road…"

"I'm kidding," she snickered, turning back to the ceiling. "Human dolls are _soooo_ boring. They break too easily, unlike Allen. Hehe~"

He shifted slightly in discomfort. There was a reason why the ninth child was feared so.

"You're not going to greet him? Allen, that is."

Road hummed thoughtfully, although he had learnt from years of coexistence that the ninth rarely engaged in such strenuous activities.

"Nope~! They'll be all gloomy and cautious if I did that. It's much more interesting to show up during the climax, but we'll see." Blowing hard, the bubblegum she had been chewing ballooned outwards in its bright pink glory.

It popped, and Road giggled as she licked it back in. "And Tyki?"

"Yeah?"

"Your cigarette is burning a hole in my homework."

~A~

**December 17, 04:45**

**Location: Hotel, Sapidor**

He bore witness as the man flew at a speed that was well beyond human capability, nigh impossible to comprehend. In slow-motion, black boots landed soundlessly on the cannon, a gun primed straight into the barrel. Even the trained warrior that he was froze in fear at the sight – for both the man and the akuma.

What happened next occurred so fast, even though time seemed to slow down. He could only watch, paralyzed, as the gunman literally danced with death, a deadly grace to his footsteps that kept him balanced even as he toyed with the akuma. He watched as the man fired his gun, watched as the akuma blasted off its own cannon. His heart screamed at him to stop them. His _Innocence_ screamed at him to stop them. But his feet were planted to the ground, his mind caught in the blinding flurry that was either shock or intrigue at what was taking place before his very eyes.

The explosion was almost soundless as he stared, dumbfounded, at the flaming mess that had once been a human. There was something moving down his left cheek, an intense ringing in his ears, a stabbing pain in his left eye as he looked through the monocle-like glass. The chained soul, he could see it so clearly.

From somewhere below, muffled by the roaring fire, Lavi's voice drifted upwards.

"What the hell… just happened?"

Nobody answered him. Nobody could answer him.

In the monochrome half of his world, the mummified skeleton that was the spirit bound to that cursed body, the spirit that could only be set free by the light of the Innocence; its bandages unraveled around its body as it was consumed in the inferno of oblivion, that slimy, scabbed hand reaching for him, black blood seeping from empty orbits.

_A…ll…en…_

Fear beckoned him, and he took a step back.

_W…hy?_

A fist closed around his ankle, rotting flesh mounted on chalk white bones. Hollowed out sockets stared up vacantly, even as its mouth moved to reveal broken, yellowing teeth.

_W…hy… di…dn't… you… sa…ve… u…s…_

Dark red fell from his eye. With a silent splash, the monochrome world became ruled by black.

_All…en… All…en…_

Small heads, skulls underneath the decaying skin, reared from the abyss. Moans escaped from sagging jaws as their voices sounded lowly.

_All…en…_

_Sa…ve… u…s… s…av…e… u…s…_

_W…hy… W…hy…_

With a gasp of shock that severed the ragged breathing of the teen, Allen found himself being pulled deeper into the shadowy, sludgy mess of a lake. The voices grew louder, more insistent.

_All…en… A…ll…en…_

_Di…dn't… s…av…e…_

_W…hy… W…hy… W…hy… W…hy… W…hy…_

His heart stopped, literally.

In the darkness that was his mind, light flashed once as a familiar shape lit up on the surface of the lake.

That faceless image, grinning from ear to ear, always haunting his shadow…

_Allen…_

"WALKER!"

A sharp intake of breath later, Allen's eyes snapped open. Sweat beaded down his forehead and back, and trembling storm gray irises stared into those of his roommate's. His throat was dry – from shouting, judging from the disgruntled look on the inspector's sleep-deprived face. Helping a groaning Allen into an upright position, Link observed the shadows behind stark white bangs as their owner breathed deeply.

"Walker, are you fine?"

"Yeah… I'm alright," the blanket wrinkled with the tightened grip. "It was just a nightmare."

The action did not go unnoticed.

"Walker…"

"I want to take a breather…"

The CROW member nodded. "Then I-"

"Alone."

Allen lifted his gaze.

"I want to take a breather alone, Link."

Link's face remained impassive even as he hesitated, torn between duty and another feeling he couldn't quite put into place. Protocols would dictate that Walker was to be in his line of sight anywhere, anytime, to prevent the possible abuse of his powers. But those eyes… even by his standards, those pained eyes were not supposed to belong to a fifteen year old child.

"Please."

Very slowly, the twenty year old turned away.

"I expect you back in thirty minutes. Otherwise, your absence will be reported to the Vatican."

Allen flashed a very innocent, a very grateful smile. He left the room and vaguely, Link wondered if he did the right thing.

Splashing water onto his face, Allen forced himself to ignore his grinning shadow as he left the washrooms, walking down the lonely corridors with the echo of his footsteps as his only companion. He felt a strange sense of relief. It had been so long, so long since he experienced the calm that was treading the darkness, alone. Ever since the Ark.

Ever since he met Mana.

He just hoped that he wouldn't run into any more mirrors.

It wasn't to say that he didn't like the feeling.

No.

He loved it, more than anything else. But even he had to admit that being alone was sometimes a good thing. Sometimes, he found himself wondering if he was much better off back when he had no name, no identity… back when he was still just a measly servant boy in the circus, a shadow in the backstage. If only he hadn't done what he had done back then, if only he had listened to his master then… if only he hadn't met Mana, then perhaps things would have ended differently.

But, the other part of him argued, if he hadn't met Mana, then he would still be that hateful child with a petrified limb, that child with no purpose in life whatsoever. He wouldn't have so many people who he could call friends. He wouldn't have had a home to return to. He wouldn't have had a promise to keep, the promise to continue walking forward, no matter what happened.

As if that thought triggered something within him, Allen increased his pace. His eyes trained to the ground, Allen was so lost in thought that he never had time to stop himself.

Brown and white accentuated his vision, and…

"Uwah!"

"Ahhh!"

Walking straight into something, or someone, the exorcist lost balance and fell onto his behind, hard. The person he knocked into had also fallen over, and was rubbing her back with a pained expression.

"That hurts~!"

It was rude to stare – Allen knew it – but he just couldn't help but ogle at the girl's extremely unusual choice of outdoor wear. A white, long sleeved summer yukata with pink floral patterns, along with a yellow obi sash tied to the waist and geta sandals on her feet, she looked like a displaced doll from a different era. Not that it was a crime to be wearing such traditional garments, but still…

She caught him staring, and he blushed.

"A-ah! I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"That's all right," the brunette dusted her yukata as she stood up, a cheerful grin between rosy cheeks. "Here." Aquamarine eyes flashed brightly and she stretched out a hand to help him up. Smiling sheepishly, he eagerly accepted the proffered limb.

"Thank you."

He bowed again in apology and made to leave, but brown bobbed in front of his face. It took all the self-control he had to force himself to stop and avoid crashing into her once more.

The girl frowned as she looked him up and down, her glass bead necklace bouncing with every movement.

"You're… not from around here, are you?"

"A-ah, yes?"

Her lips curled up into an enthusiastic grin and she clapped her hands together.

"Then you must be here for the festival too, right? Well then, we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"Um-"

"My name's Saya. Minatsuki Saya. And you are…?"

"A-Allen… Walker."

"Allen, huh?" a lilting giggle echoed through the lonely hallway. "It's a cute name."

Bewildered by the strange meeting, the teen merely nodded. Oblivious to his discomfort, Saya turned her eyes to the high wall, sighing immediately after.

"Oh geez… time's running short."

Allen glanced at the clock he never noticed. Its hands showed five ten in the morning, but the building was still dark because the sun had yet to rise.

"It's been nice talking to you, but I have to go. Work and all that, you know?" She winked. "I hope we meet again soon."

With that said, Saya disappeared at the chime of a bell, leaving a thoroughly mystified Allen in her dust.

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><p><strong>AN:** So begins the start of an awkward new friendship… and Saya's entrance into the story. I think Allen sounds a little OOC at the point where he bumped into Saya, but you've got to consider that this is the second time (at least, following this story's timeline) Allen wasn't able to save an akuma's soul. However, he didn't react the same way he did when Road caused the akuma to self-destruct because if you see the later chapters, he didn't explode on Tokusa until the guy mocked him, so I assumed he became a little more controlled over this sort of occurance. And after all that he's been through, you cannot help but wonder if he does think in that way sometimes. Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and alerted to this story. It really encourages and motivates me, especially when writer's block strikes.


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